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C U L T AND C U L T U R E :
TWO KINGDOM REVIEWS AND MEANDERING |
Thank you for visiting Bradford's Blog. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it. If you have any questions, please, contact me. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. |
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Many probably are not aware (if any are still receiving update emails from my blog) my family has jumped head-first into the organic farm produce business. It is true. I am now a bona fide redneck. In fact, this past Sunday (June 15, 2008) I started disking my first two fields on our five-acre lot. We have another patch of 10 acres which has been farmed for years for wheat, soy, alfalfa, etc. We hope to swarm in tomatoes, lettuces, squashes, pumpkins, peppers, beans, herbs, onions, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, asparagus, corn, garlic, and the likes. The "big plan" is to expand to an organic grape vineyard, free-range chicken & eggs, organic beef (possible buffalo), and organic fruit trees. The plan on this blog is not only to record the growth of an organic farm from inception to [hopefully] long-term success, but to possibly provide a blueprint of either how to or not to go about farming for anyone else who might be interested. I want to preserve the goal(s) in front of me (whether realistic or not), the plans I've made (whether good or bad), and my execution of achieving that goal (whether efficiently or not). Also, the resources I provide (which I've labored for hours and hours online to find) might be of use to someone out there so they don't have to do all the leg work. By the way, one possible name (and website) for the new family farm is Sooner Organic(s). What say ye all? Oklahoma is the Sooner state, in case some readers weren't aware. I'll backlog a few dates on today's post.
June 11, 2008
Today we ordered the following organic pumpkin seeds from Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply:
SNV5310 Pumpkin, Howden, 1 oz Bulk Organic
SNV5179 Pumpkin, Small Sugar, 1/4 lb Bulk Organic
SNV5309 Pumpkin, Casper, 1 oz Bulk Organic
SNV5213 Pumpkin, Big Max, 1/4 Lb Bulk Organic
SNV8123 PVFS Pepper Habenero Organic
SNV5110 Pumpkin, Cinderella, 1 oz Bulk Organic
SNV8124 PVFS Pepper Jalapeno Early Organic
The hope is to have organic pumpkins ready by October 15, but since they are merely ornamental, I may use treated seeds (minus the sprays and chemicals and fertilizers), which I'm seeding right now. Not only did I purchase those seeds, but I also purchased several possible website domain names which correspond with possible farm names and marketing (see Sooner Organics above!). By the way, Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply is probably one of the best places from which to purchase organic seeds of any type, but especially fruit, herb, and vegetable. Allow me to cite some good sites:
Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (whatever you could want)
Pepper Joe's (what else could they sell?)
Ronniger Potato Farm (potatoes, garlic, shallots, & onions)
Johnny's Selected Seeds (not too shabby of a collection)
Nature Hills Nursery(some beneficial selections)
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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Is that not an appropriate image of our local churches at certain times, if not seemingly all the time? We are afloat the broad, vast, deep oceans, which can be placid and serene one moment and monstrous and chaotic the next. As a church we face many obstacles as we wander the blue wilderness. We sometimes face giant storms, and other times we may face insurrection or mutiny. Sometimes we confront enemy ships as they attack us, or as we attack them. At the end of the day, we all have our scars and battle wounds. And, of course, the only reason we still have a ship to reflect such scars is because of the anchor which holds us true.
Currently, our church, Heritage Reformed Presbyterian Church, formerly Heritage Presbyterian Church in America, has been through much turmoil these past three dreary, winter months. In early December, the session called an "emergency church meeting" during the Sunday School hour. At this meeting, we were told of a church vote the following week which would determine whether or not we, as a church, stay in the PCA denomination. The next week, after hearing the elders plead their case in the Sunday School hour, we voted in a closed, member-only meeting by means of a standing count. The congregation overwhelmingly voted to leave the PCA. Since then, we lost both our Assistant Pastor, Michael Shipma, and our Senior Pastor, Mark Balthrop. Both of which resigned within a week or two of one another. Currently, our Associate Pastor, Shawn Young, is leading the congregation in word and sacrament while a committee of the session investigates denominations with which we can association and join.
So, what is in store for this grand, historical vessel? To what unknown place through the dark night do we journey with but a lamp for our deck and the starlight for our guide? She's been in battles before, both from within and from without. Yet, she's still sea-worthy. Will she continue to be such, however? What destination lies ahead of us? Can we make it without everyone abandoning ship? Can we make it without a mutiny? Can we make it without blood being shed on whatever side lines are drawn? Or, is the question better asked, can make it *with* all those things happening? Tis true, only if we hold fast to the anchor and put on our armor and prepare for battle. For, surely, there are pirates and predators at sea who see a weakened ship. And, like the great white sharks only feet below you, these evil forces can swarm around us and assail us. This, though, is the Christian life and the life of the church. Some to a greater degree, and others to a lesser. We hold fast to the legend of righteous master seamen before us, stating the forces that assail us shall never prevail against us. To that hope we hold fast in such times of tribulation. But, alas, I do not know what is in store for our proud mother of our faith.
Personally, due to the reasons originally stated unanimously by the session in our church meeting, I do not think it is wise we return to the PCA. I believe the ramifications of returning to the PCA might be more harmful and less helpful and healing to the congregation. In my opinion, it really is not a viable option. That leaves us with a few other choices within NAPARC. Again, personally, I believe the two best options are the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the United Reformed Church. Of these two options, the OPC is the most similar and familiar in both confessional standards and church polity, while the URC adheres to the Three Forms of Unity and is federation in polity rather than the structure of presbyterian denominations. The polity structure and practice might be too difficult to cope with during such a transition, let alone educating one another with regard to the Dutch Reformed heritage, tradition, and confessions & catechisms. Not only that, but the closest URC is in Missouri. The OPC, on the other hand, has a small work in Oklahoma City, as well as a strong presence in the Southwest area, specifically Texas. It would also give our church much needed guidance and oversight from a regional church. But I digress. I'll gladly discuss the two above options in more detail in further blogs.
That's where we are, today. We are adrift at sea and holding fast to the anchor. We hope and pray we find land, soon, and a place to dock. We've been out too long, and we need to come ashore. |
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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After several months I've decided there is something about which to blog which has some value. It could be the new vocation (I'm no longer with Blockbuster Inc., but am with Under the Sun Garden Center), or it could be the most awesome follow-up album to a debut album ever! Yet, maybe there is an inkling of merit to the cause being my current local church's conditions, which are numerous. One, we left the PCA in December with a one week notice before the church vote. Two, we lost the assistant pastor, Michael Shipma. Three, we lost the senior pastor, Mark Balthrop. All of this within a 3 month period, mind you. There is more on all of these issues to come. But, if anyone is emailed as to the resurrection of this blog, I hope you frequent it now that I'm out of retirement.
Love your OPC and URC advocate,
Bradford |
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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| IT'S official. Working at Blockbuster is killing me emotionally, mentally, intellectually, and spiritually. I seriously do not know how much longer I can last. |
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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| WHAT is it, exactly, about this time of year? Fist, of course, the kick off is the Government's killing of 70+ Branch Davidians (20+ of whom were children) on April 19, 1993. On April 19, 1995, the Mura building in Oklahoma City was bombed (I remember that morning well, especially since I felt the explosion some ten miles away). On April 20, 1999, one might recall the Columbine High School shooting. And, now, Virginia Tech continues the tradition of April Anarchy with the anniversary of April 16, 2007. Seriously, is there something about which I'm not aware that makes this time of year so special for killing people? |
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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IF you have not heard, Dr. Meredith Kline died peacefully in his sleep this past Friday night. I was fortunate enough to be the last starting class at Westminster Seminary California for which he taught. His classes, theology, and genuinely kind spirit are things I will remember the rest of my life. Here is the full information I received via email:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We grieve with the Kline family at the loss of Dr. Meredith Kline last
night. Dr. Kline died peacefully after a long illness. Though he is famous
for his Old Testament Biblical theology, he is also known by many in the
church for his gracious love and gentle spirit, and his love for the gospel
of Christ. There will be a service in memory of Dr. Kline on Wednesday April
18 at 11 a.m. at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family (at the request
of Dr. Kline) requests that donations be made to Faith Promise care of
First Presbyterian Church. Pray for Mrs. Kline (Grace) and for the whole
family at this time of sadness even as we rejoice in the grace shown us in
Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor David
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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LET me ask my readers a question, which will help light the path of my argumentation:
Can you truthfully and honestly look into every individual's eyes, knowing some are elect and others are not, and tell them, "If you rest and trust in Christ, today, you will be saved"? Is this a true statement to all people, even to those who are not predestined unto glorification? How is this true? Can any of my readers justify the truth of this statement? One might look to Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Here Christ tells all who are weary and heavy-laden (every man, woman, and child) if they come to him, he will necessarily give them rest. Surely this is true of all to whom Christ was speaking, which were both elect and non-elect persons. Someone, whether elect or non-elect, may ask, "What must I do to be saved?" And aren't we to reply truthfully and honestly to all people (like the Philippian Jailer), regardless of their election or not, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household"? It seems as if Scripture commands the declarers of God's word to speak boldly, truthfully, and honestly on behalf of the Triune God and proclaim to all, whether reprobate or elect, that if they only believe, they too will have the benefit of Christ's person and work applied to them that they might be saved. It is at this juncture the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Here, I believe the modern Calvinist will confound himself in his attempts to reconcile the exclusion of the reprobate from the life and death of Christ and the truthfulness of the promise of salvation to all if they only repent and believe.
So, how do you answer my original question: Can you truthfully and honestly look into every individual's eyes, knowing some are elect and others are not, and tell them, "If you rest and trust in Christ, today, you will be saved"? Those who answer, "Yes," but still believe Jesus Christ did not live and die for all of mankind (reprobate and elect alike) must now ask how such a statement is true in an actualized world in which Christ did not live and die for all mankind, regardless of election or reprobation? This is the justification I am demanding. How can one reconcile the metaphysical possibility of salvation unto the non-elect in this actual world if the provision for such salvation in this actual world was not made in the person and work of Christ? [And to be clear, this is not a mere "provisional" argumentation, which one might find critiqued by men such as Roger Nicole.] In other words, in order for the statement "if you believe you will be saved" to be true to whomever it is stated, then it is metaphysically possible for those whom God has not elected. If if it is metaphysically possible for the non-elect to believe and be saved in this actual world (this actual world is the world in which we live and the statement is true, for the statement may not be true in another metaphysically possible world which exists in God's natural knowledge), then for the metaphysical possibility to exist, the provision to fulfill the metaphysical possibility must exist and be real in this possible world. Let me try and explain this a little more thoroughly and clearly.
Assuming we agree with the teaching/understanding of Christian doctrine regarding the natural and free knowledge of God (and what in there is contained), then we all posit it was metaphysically possible for God to create any other possible world he knew. In other words, we grant metaphysical possibilities. But what IS a metaphysical possibility, and what constitutes the existence and parameters of what it is to be a metaphysical possibility? What is a metaphysical possibility? A metaphysical possibility is that which would necessarily happen in this actual world (all things being equal) if this actual world was the metaphysically possible world in which the metaphysical possibility of this actual world were logically possible.
The metaphysical possibility is the non-elect having the work of Christ applied *IF* they repent and believe. This actual world is governed and defined by the principles of total depravity, unconditional election, and irresistible grace. Because of that, we know a man cannot rest and trust in Christ in this actual world apart from being elected by the Father and effectually called and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. In other words, it is only logically possible for the elect to rest and trust in Christ in order that Christ's person and work might be applied to them when they necessarily believe. Let us say, for the sake of the argument, we receive infallible, irrefutable divine revelation regarding the election (or lack thereof) of two people, Suzie and Tommy. It is revealed Suzie is non-elect and Tommy is elect. Therefore, in this actual world (which is strictly defined by the election of Tom and non-election of Suzie, as well as all other factors and characteristics) Tommy will necessarily repent and believe, while Suzie will never repent and believe. There is no other logical possibility for any other outcome. The outcome is necessary to the existence of this actual world, though the outcome is not necessary to every possible world. In fact, it is not necessary to the metaphysically possible world in which Suzie was elected and rested and trusted in the same Jesus Christ who died for the same people. Remember, in order for the answer to my original question to be "yes," the statement "believe and you will be saved" is true if and only if Christ's provision was genuinely applicable to him in all the current circumstances if and only if he believed! So, nothing about the work of Christ, or the number of people on whose behalf it was performed, or the individual persons on whose behalf Christ died, needs to change. We are stating the truth factor assuming what is true about the atonement in this actual world, which must also be true about the atonement in the metaphysically possible world in which Suzie repents, believes, and is saved.
Therefore, one can only answer "Yes" to my question if and only if one affirms Christ died for all mankind, reprobate and elect alike. Why? Because it is true if and only if the work of Christ in this actual world is possibly effectual and applicable to all mankind, elect or non-elect. How can the work of Christ in this actual world be possibly effectual and applicable to all men, women, and children in recorded history if He did not, as the Last Adam, represent all mankind in his life, death, burial, and resurrection? We'll look more closely at this issue in the third installment, and hopefully look at the fifth chapter of Romans before reconciling and justifying such notions with tri-covenantal theology. |
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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I love days like today. The rain ceased for the time being and the sun was out in all its glory. Beth and I relaxed all day, but then at 5:00 PM we decided to take Junior to the neighborhood park. Being in my usual lazy Sunday garments, Beth instructed to me to quickly dress. Before getting dressed I wanted to brush out my hair, which is rather long by now. Beth, entering into the bathroom, heard me ripping out my hair as I tried to brush through the tangles of my long, curly, golden locks. After laughing at the seemingly sounding trauma of ripping the hair out by its follicle roots, I showed Beth my brush and boasted in the amount of hair I ripped out in a manner of a minute. She stated, "You're going to make yourself go bald!"
I replied, "It's a good thinning of my hair, which needs to be manicured and weeded like a lawn. My hair needs it." From there one of our amusing husband-wife arguments ensued. I further said something like, "You wouldn't understand, since my hair is so much thicker and nicer than yours."
My wife quickly responded, "My hair is thicker than yours! Even Joanna (our hairdresser) said so! Feel mine and compare it to yours."
"You can't compare our hair. Mine is full and naturally wavy and curly, while your hair is matted, flat, and straw like, which lays down in a seemingly thicker manner, but it is deceitful," I said in order to exasperate the humorous, ridiculous, and sophomoric content and motivation of our silly tiff. We continued to debate the issue a few minutes, but then I decided to use an analogy in order to help show my wife I possessed the truth in our disagreement. I spoke of our two previous cats (there were three, but I don't count one of them since he died a few days/weeks after we got him), Jael (who I brought to California with me from Oklahoma) and Guffman (who replaced Jael after Jael died at the hands of hungry California coyotes). Jael was this beautiful, fuzzy, furry, hair cat, while Guffman is the plain, regular, run-of-the-mil flat-haired tabby cat. "Your hair is just like Guffy's, but mine is like Jael's. Your hair appears thicker to the touch, but that is because of both the texture of your individual hairs and the manner in which your hair naturally lays. Your hair is matty and straw-like, which is similar to Guffy. And it lays down flat and layers differently so it feels more compact and, therefore, thicker. My hair, like Jael's, is thick, but the texture is wavier and curlier, making it lay down a bit differently and not feel as thick. But, like the cats, Jael's hair was just as thick if not thicker, but it was textured differently and laid down differently."
Amazingly enough, she didn't slam the door on me until after I used another analogy. "Your hair is like wet spaghetti in the way it lays, but mine is like angel hair." After laughing at ourselves, we went to the park and played with Junior. Junior climbed up the big-kid slide all by himself, learned how to walk up a wooden plank, slid down the slides all by himself, and even swung by himself for the first time in the baby swing. Unfortunately, the baby swing clasp is broken, so he hasn't been able to swing it by himself. So, I brought some twine to the park and rigged it as a belt so he could sit in there without either Beth or I holding onto him. He didn't think it was great, but he enjoyed a few moments of it. We came home, ate dinner, and then he blew poop all out his PJ's with some sort of diarrhea explosion. After the necessary bath (especially after playing with himself while covered in his own liquid fecal matter), we played a little and put him down to bed. It's been a good day. |
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| Posted by Bradford Myers at | | | |
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